


All I Want for Christmas

by NotEvenCloseToStraight



Series: Christmas Fics! [6]
Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha!Wade, Alternate Universe-Shifter!verse, Christmas, Christmas Party, Deadpool being Deadpool, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, First Kisses, First Times, Flirting, Fluff and Feels, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Funny, Harley Keener - Freeform, Idiots in Love, Insecure Wade Wilson, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mistletoe, Mutual Pining, Spideypool - Freeform, holiday fluff, innuendos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-20 18:29:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17027796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotEvenCloseToStraight/pseuds/NotEvenCloseToStraight
Summary: Alpha!Shifter Wade and Gamma! Shifter Peter have been flirting and touching and teasing and acting like they aren't in love even though they definitely ARE in love for months now.The Avenger's Christmas party seems like the perfect place to unmask around each other for the first time, to let their shifter-halves out to play together, to share a first kiss and maybe a whole lot more.Stunned and a little scared by the way they fit so right together, Wade panics, thinking maybe neither of them are ready for something so serious.Can Peter convince the big shifter that they are meant to be together, and that all he wants for Christmas is Wade as his mate?(This is an extension of the Smitten Kitten universe, link provided in the fic)





	1. Chapter 1

_{{ This is a continuation of the[ **SMITTEN KITTEN UNIVERSE** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11124243)which features Kitty!Tony, Lion!Steve and Wolf!Bucky falling in love!)_

_*******************************_

Peter received an invite to the Avenger’s Christmas Party every single year, and every single year he politely responded Thanks but No Thanks on the RSVP line.

He appreciated the invitation, appreciated being included even if he wasn’t technically an Avenger, but after going the very first year and seeing how the party went, Peter knew he didn’t exactly fit in with the types of people that showed up to Tony Stark’s holiday blowouts.

The team itself wasn’t too bad– Tony with his mates Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes, the wise-cracking Clint and more than terrifying Natasha. Wanda and Vision were pleasant enough, Sam Wilson was hilarious when he was around, Bruce quiet and reserved but friendly. The indomitable Ms. Potts and her sweetheart Colonel Rhodes always had a kind word for Peter.

But the others- oh the  _others_.

Outside the team, most of the people who showed up to the party were high-powered executives from Stark Industries who came to show off clothes that cost more than Peter’s rent, wearing expensive perfumes and colognes that complimented their shifter half’s scent, dripping in jewelry and fancy baubles.

Others were various agents from SHIELD and other nameless-but-terrifying organizations, mostly Alpha-level shifters, all dangerous intent and barely restrained aggression ill- disguised by a well fitting suit and bland smiles that didn’t fool anyone.

The invitation came with a  _plus one_  option, so everyone brought their mate or at least someone they wanted naked by the end of the night, dancing to the music, schmoozing under the mistletoe, laughing quietly over whispered jokes that were only funny to them, enjoying the sort of camaraderie that came with a shared history, a familiarity with another’s body

No, Peter with his jeans and dollar store deodorant and lack of a mate or even hopeful romantic partner, didn’t really fit in at the parties for all those reasons and about a dozen more and that was before he took his less-than-impressive shift into account.

It was…difficult…for someone like Peter to feel comfortable in a room full of big shifters.

Steve and Bucky were both Alpha level shifters, Cap’s Lion shift standing five feet tall at the shoulder, and Bucky’s Wolf just as tall. Clint was a Beta level but his partial still involved wings with a twenty foot span. Wanda was Beta level as well, and Peter had jumped onto a wall for dear life the first time she shifted into her constrictor.

And Natasha? God,  _Natasha_  could scale up and blow smoke at a moments notice, growing almost a foot into her partial-shifted dragon, fangs and claws included. Her shift was so dangerous that no one even knew how to classify her as anything other than  _scary_.

She was just  _scary_.

Tony was actually the only Gamma level shifter on the team, his little eight pound cat about as harmless as could be, but with mates like Steve and Bucky and with being Iron Man when he wasn’t shifted, Tony didn’t let his tiny shift bother him at all.

Peter was a Gamma level shifter as well, but no one knew it. He had a hard enough time getting people to take a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man seriously as a crime fighter, he really wouldn’t survive everyone finding out that his shift was even more harmless than Tony’s little cat.

Peter didn’t even have claws and  _damn_  he hated that.

“Thanks but no thanks, Mr. Stark.” he muttered, rummaging in his backpack for a pen. “Hanging out in a room full of big ol’ shifters who could eat me for a snack and rich people who could probably buy my soul doesn’t sound like a super fun way to spend my evening.”

Just as Peter was getting ready to check the  _no_  box, there was a loud whistle and Deadpool appeared from…somewhere…dropping onto the roof next to him and damn near knocking him over.

“Spidey-babe! Shouldn’t you be out saving the world? You can’t tell me all that spandex is good for  _anything_ other than webbing around and posing for rather risque pictures, what are you doing just sitting here?”

“What’s up, Pool?” Despite his uncertainty over the Christmas party invite, Peter’s shift stirred excitedly at the sight of the mercenary and he pulled his mask up to his nose so Deadpool could see him smile. “How’s it going?”

“You know my life is a basket of rainbows and unicorn farts Spidey, why do you even ask?” Wade yawned exaggeratedly and stretched his arms out, dropping one casually over the web-slinger’s shoulders. “So what’s with the foil lettered invite? Get invited to tea with the Queen?  _Fancy_.”

“It’s the invite to Mr. Stark’s Christmas party.” Peter showed him the envelope and inched a tiny bit closer, smiling again when Deadpool rubbed his nose over the top of his mask. It was a clear attempt by the bigger shifter to scent him, and one that wouldn’t work in their suits, but was still sweet for Wade to try and Peter sort of loved it.“He’s been sending me one ever since he found out I was Spider-Man, but I never go. I’ve been to a few smaller ones, but the Christmas one is too big, I don’t want to go.”

“Well why not?” Deadpool leaned against the AC unit and motioned Peter closer, tugging him back until they were cuddled up together, both pretending that they absolutely  _weren’t_ snuggling even though both absolutely  _were_  enjoying it. “I hear the parties he throws at that compound are legendary.”

“I’m sure they’re very legendary, but I never know what to say to anyone there.” Peter leaned his head into a strong shoulder and closed his eyes behind his mask, letting himself relax into Wade’s comforting scent.

“Other than rounding up baddies when the world goes to shit, I don’t have a whole in common with any of the Avengers. They’re nice enough but I still feel like an outsider sometimes. Plus Tony kind of treats me like his kid, which is cool most of the time, but it also means that I feel weird even trying to drink around him. And you know, you gotta drink at Christmas parties.”

“I thought you couldn’t get drunk anyway, Spidey.” Wade rubbed small circles on Peter’s side, swallowing an approving rumble when the kid leaned further into the touch. “Or is Ol’ Iron Sides hoarding of that super space juice that Thor brings with him. Gotta tell ya, I’d love to get my hands on some of that, I hear I’m charming as hell when I’m drunk.”

“You are never charming and I definitely don’t want to see you drunk.” Peter grinned and tried not to make it obvious that he was scooting closer again, breathing out a quick sigh of relief when Deadpool only held him tighter.

One of these days they  _really_  had to figure out exactly what they were doing with each other, because right now neither had a single clue.

Wade was fairly adamant about not taking masks off, and even though  _everyone_  knew that Deadpool was Wade Wilson, Peter had never shared his name with Wade. What had started out as a fun-but-platonic partnership to take out baddies had somehow evolved into something tense between the two heroes.

There were touches that should have been innocent, but definitely weren’t. Blase comments that could have been written off as Wade being obnoxious, but were laced with a possessive edge that made Peter shiver. Eye contact– or rather, mask contact– that was basically eye-fucking. Playful flirting that wasn’t playful at all.

Peter had given up pretending he wasn’t drawn to Wade months ago, and Wade had abandoned all pretenses shortly after that as well. They needed to be physically close, Peter’s shift drawn to the feeling of  _security_  from the Alpha level shifter. Wade texted Peter constantly if they weren’t at each other’s sides, unable to resist checking in on him.

Some days Wade scented of  _safe_  and  _warm_ , and Peter couldn’t resist pressing close. Other days, the Alpha shifter scented so strongly of  _predator_  and  _danger_  that Peter had to fight the urge to run away.

If he were being honest, Peter knew he would only run if Wade would chase him, and he knew if they were anyone  _other_  than Spider-man and Deadpool, all of this behavior would be considered courting.

But they weren’t courting, were they? Wade never said anything about wanting more than what they sort-of had, so Peter never said anything either, and neither one of them looked too far into the not-casual-at-all touches and cuddles or the happy rumbling noise Wade made anytime Peter curled into his side.

Nope. They didn’t say anything about  _anything_ , and that’s just how it was.

“So you’re not going to the party?” Wade asked and Peter jerked himself back to the moment. “Not even if Thor brings his super space juice? I feel like that would get you drunk and relaxed for sure.”

“I’m definitely not going to get drunk on mead in front of Tony Stark.” Peter said firmly. “Absolutely not.”

“Well now, I dunno, Web-head.” Wade jostled him teasingly. “I’d like to see that vein in Stark’s head do that gross throbby thing it did last week when I stole one of his rocket boots and crashed into his car. In fact, I bet if you did body shots off of me, it would just about pop out of his head and that would make me  _deliriously_  happy. You could even call it my Christmas present. That’s all I want for Christmas, to see the Iron Giant give himself a headache from murder-staring at me.”

“What do you mean it’s all you want for Christmas? I think it’s pretty big assumption on your part that I was planning on getting you anything at all for Christmas, much less body shots.” Peter retorted.

“You wound me, Spidey.” Wade gasped in mock hurt. “You didn’t buy me a present? I haven’t unalived a single person in months, I deserve at least  _one_  present for that.”

“You deserve coal and you know it.” Peter laughed out loud when Wade gasped again, and tried not to sound so hopeful when he asked, “So if you’re planning on making Mr. Stark’s head pop, does this mean you’re going to the party? Were you invited?”

“I’ve got an invite setting at home.” Wade scratched at his head idly. “And I’d go if I had a reason to. You know, like if I knew a super secret web slinger would be there too then I’d make an appearance. We could lurk in corners and gossip about rich people. Could be fun.”

“Lurking in corners and gossiping about rich people?” Peter picked up the invite and checked the ‘ _yes_ ’ box that he would be there. “I guess I’ll see you there, then.”

Wade’s heart skipped a beat at how quickly Spidey had decided to go to the party just because  _he_ was going, but he ignored in in favor of pinching at Peter’s side and teasing, “So will you be wearing a rose in your lapel so I know it’s you? Or a fedora? Will you stand beneath the mistletoe with stars in your eyes and glitter in your hair so I know you’re waiting just for me?”

“I will be doing exactly none of those things.” Peter rolled his eyes to cover the rush of excitement over them spending non-patrol time together. “Absolutely none of those things.”

“Well that’s alright.” Wade’s lips brushed the fabric that covered Peter’s ear and the little shifter shivered, instinctively tipping his head sideways to try to encourage Wade to do it again, and it took most of Wade’s self control to  _not_ do it again.

“You don’t need a rose or fedora anyway, Spidey.” He said lightly, making a concentrated effort to not think about getting his mouth on various Spidey parts. “I’d recognize dat ass anywhere. Just make sure you’re standing facing away from the door and we won’t have a problem finding each other.”

“You’re the worst.” Peter said in exasperation, but he didn’t pull away when Wade nuzzled at him again, his heart rate doubling when rough fingers landed lightly at his chin for a split second before skating away.

“So.” Wade cleared his throat pointedly. “So. I should have a name for you, right? Something to holler across the room before running towards you in dramatic slow motion as Home for Christmas plays in the background?”

“No one does those things in real life, Wade, what in the hell kind of movies have you been watching?”

“You know Tuesday nights are rom-com nights, I have all sorts of cheesy ideas for how we can meet at the Christmas party.” Wade shrugged . “We could do the rose in the lapel. We could shout each other’s names as the snow falls. You could order a specific drink so I’d know who to look for. Or you know, you could tell me your shift and I could call for you like that.”

“Definitely not doing that.”

“Why do you hate all my ideas!?” Wade complained. “The shift thing is a good idea. What is it anyway, what’s your shift? Are you a sexy smexy svelte feline? A vain little bird with fancy feathers? Are you monkey? You’re a  _monkey_ , aren’t you? Is it a spider monkey? Please God tell me you’re a spider monkey, I might actually cry.”

“I’m not telling you my shift.” Peter took a chance and turned to press his nose just lightly against the bottom of Wade’s jaw, and the big shifter  _growled_ over it, fingers tightening possessively at his side and sending a ripple of arousal up Peter’s spine. “But um– I’ll tell you my name at the party.  _If_  you show up.”

“ _If_  I show up.” Wade feigned exasperation, but didn’t move away. If anything, he held Peter tighter when he said, “I’ll need the promise of more than a  _name_  if I’m going to grace that gala with my charm and impeccable fashion sense. What else can you give me?”

“What, now I’m  _bribing_ you to come to the party?” Peter laughed softly, tipping his head so his lips brushed Wade’s chin, pretending he didn’t feel the way the mercenary shuddered. “Why am I bribing you to show up to a Christmas party?”

“Think of it as less of a bribe and more of an  _incentive_.” Wade countered and kept one arm firmly around Spidey’s waist while he held up his hand to start counting off. “How about this– I’ll accept a name, seven minutes of solid hand holding, the promise of fancy hors d'oeuvres from far off places, a kiss under the mistletoe, an allowance of no less than a dozen dirty jokes, and I want to see you shift because something tells me it’s fucking  _adorbs_ even if it’s not a spider monkey _._ Also, I will be wearing my suit and carrying one gun.”

“You can have a name.” Peter said flatly. “A name, a solid handshake, Tony always has the thing catered so I’m sure you’ll get your hors d'oeuvres and you can have six double entendres but nothing outright dirty. You have to be in regular clothes and definitely zero guns.”

“Eight double entendres and a sword.”

“Seven and a pocket knife.”

“Fine.” Wade cleared his throat and added, “Any chance there’s wiggle room on the suit? I’ll wear the one with no blood on it. It has grass stains, but hey green is festive, right?”

“Well, I won’t be in  _my_  suit, I’ll just be in jeans and a shirt.” Uncertainly, Peter not wanting to push the issue. “But if you really want to wear your suit, I won’t be upset about it.”

“Thank you.” Wade took a chance, turning his head enough to bump their noses together before steering the conversation back towards something a little more light hearted. “Oh, also, the committee would like to note that there was no formal objection to the kiss under the mistletoe.”

“Well I dunno who’s on this committee of yours?” Peter tried to sound nonchalant as he eased away from Wade’s side, needing a little air before he did something really stupid like kiss Wade right then and there. “But ‘tis the season, right? Tell the  _committee_  that miracles have been known to happen under the mistletoe this time of year.”

“The committee says miracles only happen on 34th street.” Wade shot back, wanting to throw his head back and  _howl_ over the thought of Spidey being open to a kiss. “Who’s to say one will happen at this shin dig? You could be getting my hopes up for nothing!”

He didn’t  _mean_ to sound vulnerable, but Peter heard it anyway and came right back, leaning in close enough to press his mouth to Wade’s chin again.

“I’m not getting your hopes up for nothing.” He murmured. “In fact,I would be really disappointed if you didn’t show up, yeah? Just  _really_ disappointed, you know what I’m saying?”

There it was, the first official acknowledgment of whatever the hell they were doing, and Peter held his breath until Wade replied, “I won’t disappoint you, Spidey.” He wasn’t joking this time, not laughing at all, his voice soft and serious. “I promise.”

“That’s good.” Peter didn’t move away, but he was smiling when he added, “Because I hear Santa doesn’t bring presents to bad boys that break promises.”

“Well then I better be there, seeing as I have a Christmas list about a mile long.” And you’re at the top of it. “Right?”

“That’s right.” Peter nuzzled at Wade’s cheek for a split second more before getting to his feet, fully aware that there was no possible way to write off  _any_ of their conversation as just platonic. “Alright. Well then, I’ll… I’ll see you there.”

“Sure thing, Spidey.” Wade knew he shouldn’t be grinning quite this much over what was quite possible the most innocent moment between two shifters ever. It was nothing more than a few touches and vague words with the slightest bit of intent, but he still couldn’t hide a soft growl, his shift stirring and stretching in his chest when Spidey grinned too. “I’ll see you there.”


	2. Chapter 2

Wade was a firm believer in being fashionably late to parties but being  _four hours_  tardy to the Christmas hoopla at the Avengers Compound was less about making a grand Beyonce level entrance and more about dealing with nausea brought on by having to go without his suit and mask on.

Granted, Wade didn’t  _have_ to be maskless, Spidey had told him it was alright to come all suited up but Spidey had also asked in about the most earnest tone ever that Wade not disappoint him and  _damn_ Wade didn’t want to disappoint him.

So no mask it was, and Wade was four hours late thanks to a bout of suffocating anxiety and panic induced dry heaves. But that didn’t matter. He was here, he wasn’t wearing his mask, and he tried to focus more on finding one particular little shifter, and not on everyone staring at him as he crossed the room.  

“Uh, Merry Christmas.” he waved awkwardly to an older woman who gasped when she saw his face. “Happy Holidays.” he said to another who side eyed him something fierce when he bumped into her and nearly knocked her off balance. “Good god, who are all these people, why does Stark know so many fucking people?” He shimmied between two different groups and kept heading for the staircase on the opposite side of the room, hoping he could hop up on a step and spot Spidey somewhere in the crowd.

If Spidey was even still there, anyway. Considering how late he was, Wade wouldn’t be surprised if the kid had given up and left, or found someone better to hang out with, or maybe Spidey hadn’t shown up at all, maybe he’d decided to stand Wade up because it wasn’t really worth his time.

Their particular brand of flirting aside, neither one of them had said anything  _real_  about feelings or romance or anything like that. A sweet little nuzzle didn’t mean Spidey wanted more. Teasing about a kiss possibly happening didn’t mean it  _would_ happen.

Maybe Spidey had decided that he wasn’t as serious as Wade thought he was and—

– _oh hello what do we have here?_

Wade veered off to the left, distracted from his rapidly spiraling thoughts by a very  _very_ familiar booty posted up by one of the huge windows.

 

He stopped a few feet away before speaking, knowing from previous experience that a startled Spidey was a sticky Spidey and that meant an  _annoyed_  Spidey, so he kept a little distance and tried to sound casual when he said, “Well I sure hope you’re who I think you are, otherwise I’m going to be in serious trouble for staring this hard.”

The kid didn’t turn around, but Wade could tell he was smiling as he replied, “You  _hope_ I’m who you think I am? What happened to being super confident in your ass identification approach?”

“Sweet cheeks, if there’s one thing I am always super confident about, it’s my ass identification approach.” Wade stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I was just trying to be polite and break the ice without wasting one of my allotted innuendos. Trust me, I’ve watched you be all spandex-y for long enough now that I could pick you out of a line up.”

“But only if I wasn’t facing you, right?” Peter turned around then, a cocky smile playing around his mouth, arms folded and eyebrows raised. “Otherwise you’d have no idea who I was from the front since you’ve spent all your time staring at my ass? I mean, that’s what  _I’ve_ taken from this little  _ice-breaker_ of yours.”

“Holy shit, Spidey.” Looking back at this moment, Wade would wish that he had said something less abrupt or at least something a  _tiny_ bit eloquent, but right now he blurted out exactly what came to mind, and unfortunately, exactly what came to mind was, “I mean for fucks sake how the hell are you so hot? That ain’t even  _right_! I knew you had to be cute, but are you kidding me with this?!”

Peter burst out laughing because Pool was  _obviously_ horrified by what he had said, and it was about the cutest thing he had ever seen.

“God  _damn_ it.  _Look_ at you! Why are you hiding all this under spandex?” Wade was still talking, even though he was about two seconds from melting through the floor because Spidey’s laugh was precious, and his smile was preciousand  _aw shit_  look at those eyes and now Wade’s shift was  _surging_ in his chest, antsy and  _greedy._

“You should be modeling baby boy.” He coughed to quiet a growl. “Quit your night job and hit the catwalk.”

“My night job as a hero?” Peter’s nose crinkled and Wade almost expired from the cuteness. “But then you’d never see me, and wouldn’t that be a damn shame.”

“Oh don’t you worry about me never seeing you.” Wade shook his head, unable to stop staring and not bothering to hide it. “I’d just stalk you and take pictures. There’s a legit job title for that right? Paparazzi? Paparazzo? I could definitely do that.”

“Deadpool the Paparazzo?” Peter was laughing again. “Why do I feel like you’d be weirdly awesome at the job?”

“Because I’m weirdly awesome at everything I do.” Wade cocked his head and looked Peter over again, lingering over the thick hair, the bright eyes and lower to a trim waist and long legs, and a familiar wave of  _possessive_  rocked him, his hands tightening into fists as his shift  _clamored_ to break free.

 _Mine_.

“Alright?” Peter asked a little nervously, when the big shifter was silent for a minute, staring at him with a disconcerting light in his eye. “Pool?”

“Everything’s fine.” Wade pulled himself back to the moment and hoped his smile didn’t betray his less than platonic thoughts. “So. I’m here.” He motioned down his body. “No suit, no guns, I even left my pocket knife at home. You owe me a name, a handshake, and a plate of fancy snack type things. Pay up.”

Peter took a deep breath and held out his hand for Wade to shake, trying to squash a shiver when the rough palm slid along his own. “The name is Peter. Peter Parker.”

“Peter.” Wade repeated, testing the name out on his tongue and deciding he fucking  _loved_  it. “Well it’s officially nice to officially meet you. If it wasn’t already obvious, I am in absolute awe of your hotness.”

“I know the feeling.” Peter’s eyes tracked over Wade’s face, across broad shoulders and lower to his belt line. “ _Wow_.”

“Yeah?” Wade asked with more than a hint of self consciousness, running his free hand over his bare head. “I got a few stares walking through the door, figured it was just my incredibly beautiful eyes but you know. Guess it could have been the skin thing.”

“ _Wow_.” Peter said again, a little softer this time, making sure Wade could see the approval and  _interest_ in his eyes as he laced their fingers together. “I’m so glad you didn’t wear your suit, Wade. Look at everything I would have missed out on.”

There it was again– undeniable interest from the other shifter and Wade was thrown for a loop by the flirtatious comment. Thrown for a loop and fucking  _thrilled as hell._

“Well anyway.” He stepped closer and Peter did as well, their fingers still linked. “I’m sorry I’m late but I had a good reason. There was a stranded group of children and I had to do my civic duty and–”

“Nope.” Dark eyes sparkled playfully. “I wouldn’t believe any story that started like that. Try again.”

“Wow, harsh.” Wade blew out a breath in mock annoyance. “Alright well, there was a kitten stuck in a tree, little calico thing just as precious as can be, and I was walking past and–”

“Pool.” Peter shook his head with a grin. “Come on.”

“This three legged dog limped across the road and I happened to have an extra sandwich and the makings of a splint so–”

“Oh my god.” Peter pulled at Wade’s hand in exasperation. “I won’t believe any of those! Just admit you were sleeping off a chimichanga coma and leave it at that!”

“I’m neither confirming nor denying that.” Wade grinned over the  _chimichanga_  comment,  _knowing_ Peter knew the real reason he was late, and loving the pretty shifter even more for not bringing it up. “I am sorry to keep you waiting, though Spidey, I promise I wasn’t going to stand you up.”

“I’ll admit I was starting to get a little worried.” Peter lifted his brows in a silent question before taking two steps forward, putting himself right into Wade’s space and tipping his head back so his nose ran very lightly along the line of Wade’s jaw. “But I’m glad you’re here.”

“I didn’t mean to worry you.” Wade bent so his nose touched Peter’s cheek in an affectionate greeting, sighing contentedly when Peter leaned into it. “But I’m glad I’m here too.”

“ _Mmm_.” A feather-light touch on his face, just the barest brush of fingers as Peter made a quiet, pleased sort of noise. “It’s officially nice to officially meet you.”

“You can say that again.” Wade put a careful hand at Peter’s trim waist and squeezed first gently, then a little harder when Peter trilled encouragingly . “But listen, I’m going to need a drink if I’m going to walk around this party without my mask on. Which way is the bar?”

“I have a better idea.” Peter stepped back enough that Wade could see his smile. “I took a bottle from the bar when I first got here. Why don’t we steal a tray of food and find somewhere high to sit and spy on the party? We can talk shit about people and throw crumbs off the balcony. It’s not exactly lurking in corners but it’s close.”

“This is why you’re my favorite.” Wade didn’t bother hiding his relief over not having to  _mingle_. “Talking shit and throwing food sounds amazing.”

“Did you really recognize me from behind?” Peter asked over his shoulder as he headed towards the food. “Or was it actually by scent?”

“I’ve never scented you, Spidey.” Wade pointed out, taking the bowl of chips Peter handed him. “You’re always in your suit, remember?”

“Oh right.” Peter snagged a tray of sandwiches and another bottle. “Well we should fix that soon, huh? The whole scenting thing? Seems like a shame that we haven’t done that yet.”

“Um–” Wade’s brain just about stopped working when Peter sent him a wink.

“Come on, lets find some place to hide.”

*****************

 _A place to hide_  ended up being the walkway that circled the ceiling of the common area nearly thirty feet above the ground, solid but narrow with a high railing on the one side. Tony had added it specifically for Clint when the team had moved into the Compound, knowing the winged shifter liked to sit up high and see everything, and the very first time Peter had walked through the compound he had claimed the spot as his too.

It was nice to be up in the air and be able to just  _watch_ , to hear the music and conversation but not feel overwhelmed by being right in the middle of the party, and this time, it was nice to be up there with Wade.

The position was fairly reminiscent of their evenings on patrol, sitting up high and keeping an eye on everything down below, eating junk food and gossiping, teasing and snarking at each other just like they always did. Except this time they were face to face– no masks to hide their feelings, no suits to mask their scents…

Well this was overwhelming in all the  _best_  ways and Peter loved it.

He loved that Wade had sat closer than strictly needed, their legs bumping as they dangled over the edge. He loved that Wade kept reaching over or around him for the champagne instead of just putting it between them where it would be easier. He loved the unnecessary touches that kept happening as they passed food back and forth, fingers grazing and shoulders brushing. And he loved that every time he spoke, those hazel eyes zeroed in on his mouth as if the big shifter couldn’t look away.

If Peter’s shift was one that could purr, he would  _absolutely_  be purring.

He  _loved_ this.

Wade had been chattering about Wanda for the last few minutes and Peter tuned back in just in time catch—

“—anyway she’s just ick, you know? Just  _ick_.”

“Hey!” He protested, shaking his head. “That’s rude, Pool. Wanda is lovely and very sweet, she’s not ick!”

“Oh no, as a person she’s about as sweet as shit.” Wade reached around Peter for the bottle, arm resting at his waist for just a second. “And anyone who can sleep with and love whatever the hell  _Vision_  is definitely deserves sainthood.”

“Then why would you say she was ick!?” Peter jabbed at his ribs and Wade snatched his hand, linking their fingers together. “That’s just…” Peter gulped when Wade’s lips landed on his knuckles. “That’s um, rude. It’s… it’s rude.”

“No what’s  _rude_  is that you’re obviously not listening to me.” Wade turned Peter’s hand over and sniffed at his wrist, trying to get a hint of Peter’s scent. “I was saying that her  _snake_  grosses me out! She’s all big and scaly and you know—“ he made a vague motion. “Wriggly? Ick. Gives me the heebie jeebies.”

“Now wait a second.” Peter shivered when Wade’s mouth pressed to his knuckles again, wondering if the Alpha shifter even realized what he was doing or if it was purely instinctual, like it was purely instinctual for Peter to scoot closer and offer Wade  _more_ , lifting his arm so he could scent him better. “Are you telling me that you’re scared of snakes? The unkillable Deadpool has a phobia? What a wuss.”

“Nuh-uh, if Indiana Jones can have a snake phobia then so can I.” Wade challenged, but he was rumbling in his chest, pleased that Peter hadn’t pulled away yet. “Snake phobia’s are  _manly_. Besides, most cats hate snakes, everyone knows that. I have a valid reason to think she’s ick.”

“Cats hate snakes.” Peter repeated, and then his eyes lit with realization. “That’s your shift! You’re feline!”

“I—“ Wade huffed out a breath, annoyed that he’d let it slip so easily. “Yes. I’m feline.”

“I knew it!” Peter crowed, dropping Wade’s hand so he could fist pump in excitement. “I knew you had to be feline! Alpha level, right? Are you as big as Cap when you shift?”

“I don’t think  _anyone_  is as big as ol’ Stars and Gripes.” Wade knocked their knees together and motioned for Peter to hand him another sandwich. “But yes, Alpha level.”

“I definitely knew it!” Peter grabbed the bottle of champagne and took a celebratory drink. “I knew you had to be an Alpha level and I  _knew_ you were feline.”

“You didn’t know shit.” Wade snatched the bottle back and took a drink for himself. “You had no idea I was feline. I keep my secrets locked down  _tight_.”

“You’re the least subtle person I’ve ever met in my life, you literally just announced that you were feline because you don’t like snakes.” Peter pointed out and Wade snorted. “Alright then, I’ll prove I knew you were feline.”

Peter pulled his legs up from the ledge and sat up on his knees, counting off on his fingers. “First of all, I knew you were feline just because of how you act. Cats are either hyper focused or spazzing out and half the time you are both of those things. Always climbing shit, wanting to be up high, jumping on people when they least expect it, and either broody and quiet or yowling at the top of their lungs.”

Wade opened his mouth to disagree, but Peter shook his head. “Oh I’m not done yet.” and Wade motioned for him to continue with a disgruntled sigh.

“ _Second_ , cats are the most finicky eaters in the world and you are literally the pickiest person I’ve ever met.” Peter motioned to the food. “You eat Mexican food, but not if it’s got green sauce and only from the same two restaurants, otherwise you do that weird hacking thing that is completely reminiscent of throwing up a hairball. You eat sandwiches but only on whole grain bread but not whole grain bread with seeds. You eat Chinese food but not Thai and never egg rolls ever. But then you find something you really like, and you will literally eat it until you want to throw up.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Wade munched on his –ugh, seedless whole grain bread– sandwich thoughtfully. “Keep going.”

“You don’t so much sing as you do caterwaul, and you always land on your feet, even if you break your ankle in the process.” Peter laughed when Wade muttered ‘ _superhero landing_ ’. “And finally, when you get happy? You purr.”

Wade’s mouth dropped and Peter’s smile was a little shy when he said, “I’ve only heard it once, but it was  _definitely_  a purr.”

“When—“ Wade swallowed a painfully large bite of sandwich so he could speak. “When did this alleged  _purr_  happen?”

“The first time we um—“ a splash of pink across Peter’s cheeks. “The first time we sort of cuddled? At the end of patrol. I was cold and you put an arm around me and you uh, you purred.”

Wade was quiet a moment, and then, “How did you figure out I was an Alpha level shifter?”

“Oh you know.” Peter took the champagne back and said all in a rush, “Intheusualway.”

“You looked at my dick, didn’t you?” Wade accused him, and died laughing when Peter snorted champagne out of his nose, screaming over the carbonation and putting both hands over his face to keep from spitting the rest out.

“Ow Ow Ow!!” Peter sputtered and swore and wiped futilely at his face with his hands until Wade finally handed him a napkin. “Pool! Why would you even say that!? I inhaled  _alcohol_!”

“You said you figured it out in the usual way!” Wade was still laughing, handing over another napkin when Peter grabbed for one. “The usual way is checking out my package! How else would you know!”

“Shifters are classified as Alpha level because of how  _dangerous_ they are.” Peter scowled at him. “Not because of how big your—“ his eyes dropped to Wade’s lap and the jerk cracked up all over again. “I hate you. Shut up.”

“Aw Petey-Pie, no reason to be hostile.” Wade leaned in and wiped at Peter’s chin. “Especially not when you’re covered in all this bubbly goodness.”

“There is nothing good about bubbly!” Peter fussed, blotting a napkin down his arm. “I’m going to have to leave and take a shower to get all this crap off of—off of—Um, Pool? Wh-What are you doing?”

He breathed out shakily when Wade was suddenly right in his space, a warm mouth sliding along his jaw, tongue flicking out to collect a stray drop of champagne from the corner of his lips.

“I—I—I—“ Peter’s heart was  _pounding_ , mouth suddenly dry. “Wade?”

“You missed a few drops.” Wade’s voice was low and hoarse, close enough that his lips brushed Peter’s skin when he talked. “I figured this way you won’t have to leave to get a shower…?”

The end of the sentence tipped up as if he were asking a question, like it had just occurred to him that this might be too far between them, a line that they hadn’t crossed yet.

It had just felt  _right_  to lean in and lick the champagne from Peter’s chin, natural to clean up the sweet little shifter, and Wade hadn’t thought twice about it but now…

“I would feel like you were reneging on our deal if you left.” Wade tried to make it sound like a joke, trying to cover his increasing anxiety over Peter’s silence. “I was promised all sorts of things that are suddenly null and void if you leave because of a little spilled champagne.”

Peter knew it wasn’t a  _joke_  at all, that the feline shifter was cleaning him because it had seemed natural and normal between them, but he also knew he could say  _no_  to whatever was happening, and Wade would back right off. They would go back to their food and champagne and talking crap about the various party-goers and it would be fine.

 _Or_ he could say yes and change  _everything_. No more pretending the touches were innocent, no more overlooking the obvious tension stretching between them, no more acting as if they both weren’t dying to throw the other one in bed and have their wicked way.

With a thought about  _wicked ways_  flashing through his mind, Peter made his decision in a split second, biting at his lip and slumping back against the railing, turning his head to bare more of his neck to the Alpha shifter’s gaze. “Well, what kind of hero would I be if I  _reneged_  on deals?”

It was an invitation– an  _obvious_ and _open_  invitation– and when Peter made a  _come here_  motion with his fingers, Wade jolted forward and buried his face in the crook of Peter’s neck, breathing in deep to catch every line of his scent.

He shuddered when gentle hands landed on his head, pressed closer when they touched over the rough skin curiously before tracking down his neck, curling into his shoulders and holding him tight.

“Pete.” he said hoarsely, licking a path up Peter’s throat to his ear and the answering murmur was breathless,  _needy_ – “… Wade…”  

“What a pretty little shifter you are.” Wade whispered, and Peter  _keened_ under the praise, not realizing how much he had wanted Wade to say that sort of thing until he was actually hearing it. “You scent so sweet, baby boy. I knew you would. I’ve wanted to scent you forever.”

“Wade.” Barely audible, so Peter cleared his throat and tried again, angling his head so his mouth met Wade’s ear. “Wade, will you show me your shift? Just your partial?”

Wade paused for a minute, and Peter thought he might say no, that sharing shifts was a step too far, that it was too intimate for their pseudo-courting, that holding hands and quick nuzzles was okay but anything  _real_ wasn’t acceptable.

But then he gasped when Wade’s arms suddenly  _bulged_ , the broad shoulders rolling and skin rippling as he slid into a partial shift, and Peter’s mouth fell open when spots filled in from Wade’s forehead clear down his neck, disappearing below his shirt and reappearing on his hands, covering the scars completely. Fingernails sharpened into claws, hazel eyes tinted to a glowing amber and when Wade leaned back and smiled, fangs peeked out from behind his lips.

“Good Christ, you’re beautiful.” Peter breathed, reaching out to smooth his fingers over the dark spots. “A leopard shifter. I’ve never even seen one before, you are  _beautiful_.”

“I showed you mine.” Wade’s voice was deeper in his shift and Peter _loved_  it. “Now you’re supposed to show me yours, isn’t that how we’re playing?”

“Oh are we playing now?” Peter was teasing, but halfway into his Leopard, Wade could practically hear Peter’s heart rate pick up, and could definitely scent the  _nervous_ coming from him.

“It’s alright Pete.” It was difficult to sound reassuring when he was fanged out, but Wade tried anyway. “Whatever your shift is, I can handle it. I can deal with extra eyes or legs. Extra hands could be fun. You didn’t run away screaming when you saw me without my mask on, I can handle your shift, I promise.”

“Extra eyes and legs?” Peter chuckled nervously. “Wait, do you think I shift into a spider? I don’t shift into a spider, Wade. Not even close. That would be super weird and  _very_  gross.”

“I’m more relieved about that than I want to admit.” Wade ran a very careful finger down Peter’s cheek and tilted his chin up so they were staring at each other. “Show me your shift, baby boy. Let me see how pretty you are.”

Peter took a deep breath and closed his eyes, taking Wade’s hands and placing them both in his hair, sighing when the Leopard shifter scratched at his scalp, the barest scrape of claws giving him goose bumps.

“Take your time.” Wade murmured, and leaned in to press their foreheads together. “I’m not going anywhere.” It was so easy–maybe too easy– to give in to his Leopard’s urge to stay close to Peter, to hum comfortingly and croon coaxingly when he felt the tremble through the lean body. “I’m right here.”

 _There_  was the ripple that marked a shift, muscles tensing and tightening as Peter’s animal half moved forward, and Wade’s eyes flew open in surprise when he felt fur beneath his fingers, fur and velvet soft skin and–

“Holy shit, you’re a bunny.” He stared in shock at the long ears covered in brown fur the same color as Peter’s hair. “You’re– you’re—a bunny? Spider-man is a  _bunny_?”

“Don’t laugh.” Peter whispered, eyes so dark brown now they were nearly black, nose scrunched worriedly. “Please? I hate when people laugh at me.”

“Why would I laugh?” Wade was nowhere  _near_ laughing, a surprised but pleased rumble working from his chest as he scented up and down Peter’s neck again, rubbed his nose over the soft ears. “Lovely shifter you are  _gorgeous_. Look at you!”

“Yeah?” Peter chewed at the inside of his cheek uncertainly and Wade budged even closer until his mouth almost touched Peter’s. “You don’t think it’s a dumb shift? I’m not exactly  _fierce_ , you know. Not like you. You’re not laughing?” 

“No no no–” A quick shake of Wade’s head and Peter’s eyes flickered in relief. “No, Pete you are  _so pretty_  like this, what a sweet shift. I know I make fun of you for a lot of things but I would  _never_ laugh about this. Not when you’re trusting me with your shift, not when we’re–”  

 _Prey_.

The thought slammed into Wade’s mind, not even a  _thought_ as much as it was a  _roar_ , echoing around his head and settling deep in his core, twisting at the base of his spine and ratcheting heat clear through his body.

 **Prey**.

 _ **Mine**_.

A rumble turned into a  _snarl_ , ripping from his chest and echoing as a growl around the walkway and Peter froze in place when the Leopard’s teeth landed over his pulse for just a second before Wade forced himself away, claws  _tsinging_ on the walkway as he backed up.

“Run little bunny.” He ordered, and he wasn’t teasing, wasn’t joking, wasn’t  _any_ of those things, pushing the words past his lengthening fangs and trying to keep himself under control, the moment between them going from sweet and tentative to hot and  _sharp_.

“Wh-What?” Peter licked his lips and the amber eyes dilated with  _want_. “You– you want me to run? You want to chase me?”

“I want to  _catch_ you.” Wade corrected, a tremor rolling through his body as his spots got darker, his Leopard pushing forward even more. “I want to catch you, so  _run_.”

“Run.” Peter repeated, scrambling to his feet and inching backwards, heart pounding with fear and more than a bit of excitement, the flush in his cheeks not so much nervous as it was  _eager_. “You want to catch me?”

“ **Run**.”

Peter ran.

Wade gave him a few seconds head start, and took off after him.

**Mine.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nakedness and growly!Wade

Peter had always been quick on his feet, but partial shifted into his rabbit he was almost impossibly fast, covering the ground at breakneck speed, the instinct to  _run_  from a predator so deeply ingrained he couldn’t have slowed down if he wanted to.

But  _Leopards_ were fast too, and this Leopard had every intent of catching what he so badly wanted, so each time Peter risked a glance behind him, Wade was hot on his heels.

They burst through doors and skidded around corners, dodged end tables and vaulted over chairs. Peter scrambled up stairs and Wade took them three at a time. A long hallway, and Peter took off on the straightaway, zig zagging back and forth as Wade pounded after him. He damn near caught up too, but at the last minute Peter darted up the wall and back flipped off of it, landing in a crouch behind the Leopard and laughing in excitement when Wade whirled around in surprise.

“Not fair to use powers, Pete.” Wade growled, and Peter licked his lips, scrunched his nose playfully and said, “You’re going to have to try harder than that if you want to catch me, Kitty.”

Wade bared his teeth and  _snarled_ , and they were off again. Peter ducked back into the stairwell to get downstairs, heading for the training gym and running track because there would be obstacles to weave around and places to hide and they could draw this chase out until they were both—

He screamed then, a high pitched panicked noise when Wade landed with a  _thump_  in front of him, the Leopard having just thrown himself over the railing of the floor above, knowing he’d land on his feet in front of the little bunny shifter.

“Oh. Oh damn.” Peter was panting, chest heaving, heart  _racing_ from the chase, and it ramped up even more as Wade straightened and stalked towards him. “Um—um—“

 _Escape_! His mind shrieked, so Peter shot a web towards the corner, fully intending to swing up and over Wade’s head so they could keep playing, but Wade’s arm shot out lightning fast and caught the web before it made contact, wrapping it around his wrist and yanking Peter forward.

“ _Shit_!” Peter yelped when they were suddenly nose to nose, their chests brushing and knees bumping, amber eyes glowing just a few inches from his own.

“All done playing.” Wade rumbled and Peter’s knees went weak at the sight of those  _fangs_ , curved and wicked and dangerous, the predator nearly vibrating trying to keep his full shift under control.

“You caught me.” Peter whispered, and that rumble grew a little louder. “Now what are you going to do with me?”

*****************

 

There were no less than two dozen extra bedrooms in the compound and Wade just picked a random one, kicking the door in with barely any effort at all, Peter webbing it back shut as they went.

They were kissing as they backed toward the bed, teeth clashing and tongues tangling, Wade’s fangs scraping Peter’s bottom lip, Peter licking over the sharp points because it made the Leopard shifter _groan_.

Wade tossed Peter on the bed and made short work of his own clothes before he started ripping at Peters, his shift not needing any light to see in the dark.

Wade could see it all– the miles of perfect skin, the sharp vee at narrow hips, the way Peter twisted and writhed under his touch, the way he kept biting at his lip and starting to reach for Wade before letting his hands fall back as if he were uncertain.

“Touch me.” Wade  ~~pleaded~~ ordered and Peter laughed in delight and  _grabbed_  him, wrestled him down onto the mattress and crushed their mouths together again, running his hands over every inch of Wade that he could reach, marveling over the gorgeous spots, exploring the lines of the scars and moaning when his sensitive skin lit up against the roughness of Wade’s.

“You feel good so good oh my god–” He threw his head back when fangs landed over his heart, scraping down his chest to his ribs. “Don’t stop, don’t stop bite me again, bite me  _harder_.”

“God _dammit_  Pete.” Wade was almost dizzy, lust pounding through his veins, his teeth aching with the need to  _claim_. “I  need–I need–”

He was out of control–  _almost_ out of control, carried away on a shock wave of  _want_ , the predator in him  _roaring_ , stunned by how badly he  _needed_ , overwhelmed with how right it all was.

“I know. Wade I know, I  _know_.” Peter was panting, gasping, surging forward to kiss Wade again, biting down at his lip until the Leopard snarled over the pain and bit him right back, fangs puncturing the soft skin and drawing blood.

“Too much?” he mumbled against another harsh kiss and Peter only held him tighter. “ _Not enough_. Not enough, I want  _more_.”

“I’ll be gentle with you.” Wade’s amber eyes were bright in the dark, bright but cautious. “I promise.”

“I know.” Peter let his tongue play over the dangerous edge of Wade’s fangs. “But you don’t have to be.”

“ _Fuck_.” Wade swore under his breath, then swore again. “Roll over.”

He twisted Peter on the bed, turning him face down into the pillows and hauling the lean hips up into the air, running his hands greedily over the curve of Peter’s ass, up the strong line of his back and back down again to hold him tight. “I need you like this, yeah?”

“Yesyesyes–” Peter spread his legs further and arched his back, turning his head and baring his throat and Wade couldn’t stop himself from digging his fangs into the back of Peter’s neck to hold him still for a few seconds.

Submission wasn’t usually as big a deal with feline shifters as it was with the canines but after so long of pretending they didn’t want each other, after playing and teasing and chasing, Wade needed Peter like _this_ , needed him here and needed him  _still_.

Peter moaned and  _shuddered_  over the teeth, but went very still anyway, pliant beneath Wade’s fingers where they dug into his hips. “Thank you.” Wade rumbled, licking over the red marks his fangs had left. “Pretty shifter, perfect little thing, you are beautiful,  _beautiful._ ”

He had put a packet of lube in his pocket earlier, feeling foolish for even hoping but  _god_ he had hoped so much that the evening would end here, and when he tore it open with his teeth and coated his hand, Peter trilled something about, “ _I knew you’d be careful with me_.”  

 _Careful._ Peter had told him he didn’t have to be gentle, but _god_ Wade tried– he  _tried_ to be careful, tried to be gentle but he was too far into his shift to take it as slow as he’d originally planned and Peter was just egging him on, encouraging him for  _more_ with every second that passed.

A gentle press at his entrance and Peter rolled his hips back for _another_ , the slick slide of a single finger had him pushing his face into a pillow to muffle his cry. Two fingers and Peter  _wailed_ and Wade was starting to growl again, working his fingers as deep as he could trying to make room for  _himself_ in the tight channel, so desperate to be inside the pretty shifter that he was rougher than he meant to be and Peter  _yelped_ when three fingers was too much too fast.

Wade started to apologize but Peter hushed him, pushing back into the stretch and  _moaning_ , spreading his knees wider to offer  _more_ of himself up to the Leopard shifter, tearing at the sheets when Wade pulled his fingers free only to replace them with his cock, nudging at Peter’s hole and pressing in an inch at a time, forcing himself to be slow, forcing himself to be careful in  _this_ more than anything,  _careful_ _careful_ until their hips met and he was resting snug against the pretty curve of Peter’s rear.

“Need you like this.” He could barely speak over his fangs, his Leopard growling and  _surging_ ,  claws sharpening into points at Peter’s side. “Pete.  _Mine_. I need–”

“ _Yes_.”

It was rough between them, hard and fast, Wade’s hips snapping forward to bury his cock into Peter’s body over and over and  _over_ , unable to get enough of the sweet little shifter hot and tight around him. Peter was pulling him in deeper, rocking back to meet every thrust, crying out when Wade bottomed out inside him, pleading for more when he withdrew, letting the Leopard shifter drive him further into the bed with every stroke.

Wade was beyond speaking now, nothing more than a snarl working through his chest as he lay sharp kisses over every inch of smooth skin he could reach, letting his fangs prick and scrape as he went, rumbling in response to every mewl and whimper, reaching around to close his palm around Peter’s cock, feeling the slender length jerk and twitch in his hand, a steady pulse of wet from the tip soaking into Wade’s hand and easing the motion.

Now Peter was humping into Wade’s fist, pushing backwards onto the thick cock and driving forward again, pleasure starting to curl at the base of his spine, shooting through his body like sparks, making his fingers tingle and his toes curl and his vision white out as he got closer to his edge, starting to babble– “Wade Wade Wade oh fuck I need– I need–”

Wade lifted Peter’s hips higher, filling him in short strokes until he was stabbing over a spot inside Peter that had him shouting, burying his face in the pillows and  _screaming_ as he started shaking, body tensing and coiling tighter and tighter until he thought he might pass out, until he couldn’t even form a thought beyond  _more_  and  _mate_  and  _mine_.

“Come for me.” The words were nearly  _savage_ , a command from the Alpha shifter breaking through the weight of pleasure and burning into his mind and Peter came apart in an instant, spilling into Wade’s fist and onto the sheets, calling out for him in a desperate  _hoarse_ voice.

Wade couldn’t wait then, didn’t  _want_  to wait anymore, and shoved forward into Peter one last time, pinning him to the bed and clenching his jaw so he wouldn’t bite, digging his claws into the mattress and  _shredding_  it as he came, filling Peter full and then over full, his release leaking out around the base of his cock and dripping onto the bed.

Neither spoke for a long time, both barely able to breathe much less to form words and it took all of Wade’s concentration just to retract his claws enough to get them free from the mattress.

Bracing one hand on the bed to keep his weight off of Peter, Wade wrapped his other arm under Peter’s stomach to hold him steady, rubbing his thumb in a slow circle on the soft skin for several minutes.

Peter didn’t say anything for a long time, but when Wade leaned far over his body to press a kiss between his shoulder blades, Peter shifted back further into where they were still connected, pulling an unsteady sigh from the big shifter.

“W-Wade?” he finally managed to speak, sounding thoroughly wrecked, his breathing shaky. “Wade?”

“I’m right here.” Wade placed another kiss on Peter’s back and told himself just to  _breathe_. “I’m right here.”

**********************

The cool air of the room finally broke into the heat between their bodies and Peter started trembling, clenching his fingers in the sheets and keeping his eyes shut tight, inhaling shakily and exhaling on a quiet whimper as he started to come down, started to ache.

Wade’s arm tightened briefly around his waist before the Leopard shifter lifted free of him, the bed dipping as Wade stepped away to find something to clean up with, dipping again as he returned.

A rough hand landed at Peter’s hip and he rolled into the touch, staring up into glowing amber eyes.

“Hi.” He whispered. “Is this– are we okay?”

“Pete.” Wade’s throat jerked as he swallowed, wetting his lips anxiously as he tried to figure out what to say and how the hell to say it. “What the hell was that?”

“I don’t really know.” Peter admitted in a hushed tone. “I don’t— I don’t know what that was.”

“I–we should probably–” it wasn’t often that Wade was speechless but this time he was speechless. “It was– it was good, right?  _Perfect_. Pete, I–”

Wade didn’t even know how to put into words exactly  _how_  perfect it had been but before he could try to explain, Peter was nodding and sitting up, reaching for him and looping his arms around Wade’s neck, pulling him down to press their lips together.

“Yeah?” Wade asked uncertainly, kissing Peter back as gently as he could, careful not to prick him with his fangs. “Alright?”

“Yeah.” Peter sighed happily when Wade gathered him close and turned them in the bed until Peter was on top and straddling his waist. “This is good.”

“You’ll stay with me, right?” Wade asked gruffly, rubbing his thumbs at the base of Peter’s long ears and humming in approval when Peter tipped his head back into the touch. “You’ll stay with me tonight?”

“I can’t—“ Peter laughed wonderingly. “I can’t imagine not staying, Wade, I don’t want to leave. Staying with you is– this is–” he shook his head. “I don’t know what this is, and it’s not something I knew I wanted. I don’t know what that means or if you even want to hear that but–”

Wade cut him off with another kiss, crooning softly when Peter melted against him, rumbling coaxingly so the pretty bunny shifter would lay on his chest and rub that adorable nose into his neck.

Relaxed and sated, content to leave the talk about whatever they were doing for another day, Peter slid further into his shift as he snuggled into Wade’s warm body, knowing the Alpha shifter could scent his happiness.

Wade closed his eyes when Peter cuddled even closer, petting across the sensitive ears and running his hands slowly down the Peters back to–

“Holy shit, you have a tail.” he gasped out loud when his hand connected with a puffball of a tail that hadn’t been there earlier. “Pete, you have a tail!”

“I’m a bunny.” Peter mumbled, pushing his butt up so Wade would keep petting him. “What did you expect?”

“Not a super soft pom-pom of a tail.” Wade admitted, grinning when Peter made a pleased little noise and pushed his butt up even higher.

“You like that?” he murmured, and Peter sounded sleepy when he answered, “As long as you aren’t laughing over it.”

“I’m not laughing about it.” Wade soothed him. “Not even close. You’re beautiful like this, Pete. Little bunny shifter. So sweet.”

“ _Mmm_.” Peter dropped off to sleep just a few minutes later, lying warm and trusting on Wade’s chest, but the Leopard shifter lay awake for a while longer, holding Peter close and wondering how the hell they’d ended up here and why the hell he didn’t want to leave.

 _Mine_. 

It was terrifying, whatever had sparked so hot between them tonight. Terrifying and new,  _right_ in a very real way, and Wade– Wade didn’t know if he was ready for it. He wanted Peter, of course, but was he ready for everything else?

He didn’t know how long he lay there mulling over their  _situation_ before falling asleep, and he didn’t know how long he’d been asleep when Peter started to move on top of him, but the sun wasn’t up yet so Wade’s arms tightened around him so he wouldn’t go anywhere.

“Stay.” he said quietly, his shift stirring enough to turn his eyes amber again at the thought of Peter leaving.  _Stay. Mine. Please._  “Settle, little shifter. Stay with me.”

“I’ll stay.” Peter hummed and pressed close again, bumping their noses together and rubbing his cheek over Wade’s chin. Then he gave him a soft kiss, stretching out to tangle their legs together and rubbing into Wade lazily, a sleepy little moan when he felt the Alpha shifter hardening against him.

He came back for another kiss when Wade urged him back up, theirs mouths meeting again and again in the dark as their hands began to wander, Wade groaning when Peter’s palm closed around his cock, Peter gasping when searching fingers found his entrance again. He was still wet from earlier, wet and a little sore, and the  _noise_ he made as he opened around Wade’s fingers had the Leopard shifter rumbling greedily. It didn’t take much for Wade to coax Peter back and onto his cock, holding the lean hips steady until they were fit tight together again.

“ _Ohhhh_.” Peter went a little boneless then, rolling his body back until Wade lifted enough to meet him, thrusts shallow and slow as they moved together in a sleepy haze.

Peter came first, rubbing his cock into Wade’s stomach and spilling his release with a shaky sigh, and Wade lasted only a minute more before coming as well, growling into Peter’s hair as he ground their hips together and filled him for a second time.

A moment to clean up, and they were back to bed, neither one even fully awake before they were falling back asleep, sated and warm in each others arms.


	4. Chapter 4

Peter woke up alone.

The sun was shining through the windows of the room, Wade’s clothing was gone, the door set awkwardly up on the door frame, and there was a text message on his phone.

_(4:17 am)_

**From Deadpool** :  _Figured I should head out before Iron Dad and the Wonder team realizes we spent the night together. If you want to talk, text me when you wake up, otherwise I’ll see you later._

“Text me when you wake up.” Peter said out loud, and dragged his hand through his hair in frustration. “Right. Because it’s up to me to make the first gesture and fix this. Big ol Leopard shifter can’t even stick around for a morning after talk. What a little bitch.”

He wasn’t really angry of course, not when he was wonderfully sore and a little loopy from their night together, but it was still fairly shitty of Wade to disappear and only leave a text message.

“Alpha shifters.” Peter muttered irritably as he dragged himself to the en suite bathroom, cranking the shower to hot. “What a pussy. That’s what I’m going to call him next time I see him. A damn pussy cat. What a wuss.”

*****************

“Hey what’s up, Spidey.” Clint looked up with a smile when Peter finally made it downstairs. “Thought you spent the night, bout time you showed up down here. How’s it going?”

“Yeah, I uh– I slept upstairs.” Peter took a quick drink of coffee so the archer wouldn’t see that he was hiding anything. “Party was fun. Tony sure knows how to put on a– _ack_!”

He startled when Clint reached out and yanked him further into the kitchen. “What the hell?!”

“We can talk about what you did with your night later. Come here and sit down this will be hilarious.” Clint hopped up on a stool with a gleeful smile. “Have you ever seen Tony involuntarily partial shift?”

“What?” Peter frowned at him, side-stepping the massive wings the Avian shifter hadn’t felt any need to put away to sit on the stool next to him. “Involuntary— that sounds painful and awful. Why would he do that?”

“It’s not really painful.” Clint shook his head quickly. “I mean back when he never shifted, a partial hurt a little bit, and if he got stuck in it, he got all pissy but that doesn’t happen anymore.”

“Back when he never shifted?”

“Uh yeah, long story, involves Cap and Bucky being drop kicked through a wall by Papa Bear Rhodey and Tony having a tail and ears for like a month.” Clint waved him off. “Anyway, Tony’s such a bratty little cat that he can’t stand other feline shifters in his space so—“

“Captain Rogers is a feline shifter.”

“Cap is a  _Lion_ , he isn’t exactly a house-cat. Plus they’re mates so it’s different.”

“That’s fair.” Talking about mates made him feel anxious, so Peter cleared his throat and asked, “So what are we going to see that makes Tony partial shift?”

“JARVIS just informed me that Deadpool’s coming up the drive and is going to be here any minute.” Clint waggled his eyebrows. “And Tony is coming down from his rooms literally right now. This is going to be _fantastic_. The last time a feline shifter surprised Tony, we had to throw water on him to get him to de-fuzz. Hysterical.”

“Oh shit.” Peter dragged his hand over his mouth, not sure why Wade was coming back, not sure if he wanted to even see him. “Uh Clint—I think I’m going to just–”

“Hush hush hush! Here he comes!”

Tony’s private elevator doors opened and the genius stepped into the common area with Bucky hanging off of him. Tony was tapping at his tablet absentmindedly and the Wolf shifter was nuzzling at his ear and scenting up and down his neck, mouthing over the silvered bonding mark on the curve of Tony’s throat.

They were both smiling and teasing each other, obviously satisfied from a night spent together with their other mate, Steve, and were paying very little attention to anything else.

Or at least, they weren’t paying much attention to anything else until the other set of elevators opened and Wade walked into the room as well.

Clint whipped out his phone and started recording immediately, and when Peter sent him a  _look_ , he waggled his eyebrows. “It’s for science.” and when Peter  _kept_ looking, he amended, “Alright, it’s for blackmail. Judge me if you want but just  _watch_!”

Wade met Peter’s eyes with a cautious smile and held up a cup of coffee from their favorite shop, the one at the corner closest to their favorite roof that opened at four thirty am every morning specifically so that he and Wade  could get coffee after patrol.

“He left to go and get me my favorite coffee.” Peter muttered to himself. “Oh my god.”

“Heya Pete.” Wade said quietly, and  _that_  was when all hell broke loose.

Too distracted by his mate, Tony hadn’t noticed the other shifter at first, but when he heard Wade’s voice his head shot up in alarm, nostrils flaring and eyes narrowing as he realized another feline was in his territory without permission.

A snarl started building in his throat when he finally caught the scent of the Leopard shifter, and Wade being  _Wade_ cocked his head and made a kissy face at Tony, snapping his fingers and calling, “Here kitty kitty!”

Tony fuzzed out  _instantly_ , dropping into a partial shift in a split second and  _yowling_ at the top of his lungs as he flung his tablet at the bigger shifter. His back was arched, and shoulders hunched, tail swishing angrily as his claws shot out, black ears laid flat across his head with tiny fangs glinting angrily.

Wade ducked the tablet and dropped into his own partial, coffee cup flung against the wall as leopard spots blurred over his skin, his own much  _larger_  fangs bared menacingly, claws fully extended, a growl bursting from his chest.

Tony stepped toward him warily, and when Wade moved forward as well, Tony outright  _hissed_ at him, swiping his claws through the air in annoyance and Wade spat back as they circled each other.

Clint was crying with laughter, phone held up to keep recording the two shifters circling each other like pissy alley cats fighting over scraps, Peter’s jaw was nearly on the ground, and in the corner Bucky had both hands over his mouth so Tony wouldn’t hear him laughing because the  _last_  time he’d laughed at this display, his volatile little mate hadn’t spoken to him for a week.

The elevator door opened again, and this time it was Steve who looked the entire scene over with an exasperated expression and picked up a pillow from the couch to  _wing_  at the noisy cats, his Lion surging forward with a roar of his own– “STOP YOUR YOWLING SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!”

The two feline shifters scattered, Tony dashing back to climb into Bucky’s arms with his tail poofed and his eyes wide, Wade high tailing it back to the elevator with a screech and leaving the building altogether.

“Clint.” Steve pointed a finger at the winged shifter who had yet to stop cackling, banging on the counter and  _howling_ with laughter. “Stop fixing situations so Tony gets weird like that. It’s not funny and it takes me hours to calm him down!”

Clint elbowed Peter and showed him the hit count on the video he had posted the last time this had happened. “Cap says it’s not funny? But over fifty million views would care to disagree.”

“That was– that was awful.” Peter shook his head. “Oh my god.”

“Feline shifters.” Clint’s thumbs were flying over his phone as he typed out a description and uploaded the video. “They think they are all graceful and beautiful and put together. The second there’s another cat around they get all fuzzy and fluffy and twacked out. Funniest shit I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Wow.” Peter stared mournfully at what was left of his favorite coffee. “Well that was fun but–”

“But I’m interrupting your walk of shame?” Clint barely glanced up from his phone when Peter almost choked. “Yeah. It takes more than a shower to wash the scent of  _leopard_  off you, kiddo. Plus you’ve got fang marks on your neck, and the only people big enough to leave those are Cap and Buck and they were busy leaving them all over Tony last night.”

“Um—”

“Hey don’t worry about it.” Those massive wings flicked up and over Peter’s shoulders, coating him in a wall of feathers. “We can’t really pick our mates, you know? When someone’s right, it’s just right no matter what anyone else says.”

“Actually um–”

“I mean look at me, I’m mated to a damn dragon, you don’t think people looked at me funny the first time Nat scaled up and blew smoke? She singed my feathers the night we mated.” Clint took a drink from his mug and tucked his phone away, leveling a serious look at Peter. “But she’s still right, so I’m still with her.”

“But Wade and I aren’t–”

“You don’t spend a lot of time with us.” Clint interrupted. “Not a whole lotta time with the team unless we’re rounding up baddies, but we all know you and that mouthy merc have got something special. Tony fuzzes out about it every once in a while and worried about you because you’re the youngest and weigh like, four pounds whether you’re shifted or not–”

Peter laughed and Clint winked at him. “–and you know, Tony’s one to talk, because he weighs all of four pounds too and he’s mated to both a Lion and a Wolf? But we all see it.”

“You see it.” Peter repeated. “Really?”

“Wade’s big ass turns into goo whenever you’re around, Spidey.” Clint nodded when Peter raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Plus he showed up to the party last night for the first time ever, didn’t wear his mask, and walked right up to you to talk. And if you think we didn’t notice you two sneaking away? Yeah right. I knew you spent the night together, no way two shifters look at each like that and aren’t tearing up a bed somewhere. Break any doors?”

“Um, one?” Sheepishly and Clint jostled him good naturedly.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ve all done it. Go get you a leopard, yeah? What’s that nursery rhyme? Eenie Meenie Miney Moe, catch a leopard by it’s toe?”

“That’s not the right–”

“THE POINT IS!” Clint interrupted and Peter started to laugh. “Just go get him. You’re coming Christmas Eve, right? Harley will be there, Tony’s flying him up for it. He wants the whole family around.”

“Yeah.” Peter pulled out his phone and fired off a text to Wade.  _We need to talk_. “Yeah, I will definitely be there.”

*******************

“Spidey.” Wade dropped onto their usual roof, pausing a short distance away from the pretty shifter. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Peter pulled his mask up and off so Wade could see him. “You never texted me back. Seems rude.”

“Let’s blame it on a chimichanga coma.” Wade took his mask off as well, twisting it awkwardly in his hands. “So listen, Spidey. I’m sorry for leaving this morning.”

“Well seeing you fuzz out like that pretty much made up for it.” Peter grinned. “That was the least sexy thing ever but I still kind of loved it.”

Wade breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, my bad. I wasn’t exactly expecting the Iron Pussy Cat to hiss at me, so I can’t really be blamed for my reaction, right?”

“Sure.” Peter kept smiling, inching closer as he did. “So. You left before I woke up?”

“I’m sorry about that.” Wade said immediately. “I’m serious. I got a little freaked out and bolted but then–”

“Then you decided to buy me my favorite coffee and come back.” Peter finished.

“I was hoping you’d still be in bed.” Wade smiled a little shyly. “Fully planned on being there before you woke up again. I thought we could talk about what happened last night.”

“We definitely need to talk.” Peter cocked his head as sirens lit up the street below them. “First patrol, then we can talk alright?”

“Hell yeah.” Relieved that everything seemed to be okay between them, and more than ready to work off some energy and anxiety by  ~~beating up~~  catching some bad guys, Wade nodded and threw himself off the roof with a  _whoop_ , knowing full well Peter could catch him as he webbed out onto the street.

 _We’ll talk later_. Wade thought, his shift restless at the thought of exactly how this particular conversation would go.  _That’s fine_.

They had the best intentions, really they did, both fully intending to have a very serious discussion about what had happened and  _how_  it had happened and how they felt afterwards, but it was one of those nights in New York and  _later_ turned out to be close to three am, after they had stopped two different robberies, heard about a car theft and went on the resulting chase, helped track down a lost child, and foiled an attempted mugging.

“Damn it, it’s three am.” Peter hid a jaw-cracking yawn behind his hands when they finally caught a few minutes of break. “Pool, I’m wiped. I barely slept at all last night–”

“I thought you slept fine last night.” Wade interjected, and his Leopard  _growled_ in satisfaction when Peter’s cheeks tinted red.

“What little sleep I did get, was good sleep.” Peter amended. “And I know we need to talk.” His eyes were soft and Wade’s flickered amber in response. “But I can’t do it when I’m this tired and I’m supposed to decorate the tree with Aunt May all day tomorrow and take her out for an early Christmas dinner so I won’t be around.”

“So when–” Wade tried not to sound quite so nervous. “When am I going to see you again? Can I see you again? I can see you again, right?”

“What about Christmas Eve?” Peter trilled comfortingly when he picked up on the nervousness from the big shifter. “You told me you spend the day with Ellie, but what if you come up to the compound for Christmas Eve dinner? It will just be the team and their mates and um– Harley. Tony knows him from a while back. Not a party though, half the team is usually in their jammies and–”

“Jammies.” Wade repeated and Peter flushed. “God you’re cute. But I don’t really know if that’s a good idea. Can’t we talk somewhere a little more private?”

“Please.” Peter stepped close, closer than he’d been all night, taking Wade’s hand and squeezing it lightly. “Wade. Please come? There won’t be any sirens to distract us or anything like that, we can get up on the walkway again and talk and if everything works out, maybe we can–” he stood on his toes and ran his nose over Wade’s jaw, leaving an open mouthed kiss on his chin before flicking his tongue out and along the seam of Wade’s lips. “Hm?”

Wade kissed him back without hesitating, fitting his palm to the back of Peter’s neck and holding him still to deepen the kiss, sucking hungrily at Peter’s tongue when it ventured into his mouth, a rumble vibrating through his chest and into Peter’s body as his Leopard stirred in excitement.

“Pretty shifter.” he mumbled, snaking an arm around Peter’s waist and hauling him closer. “Such a pretty bunny, cutest ears and the most adorable tail.” he let his fangs out enough to prick at Peter’s skin, working down his throat to the curve of his neck, murmuring sweet nonsense in Peter’s ear. 

“I’ve got about a million things I want to call you, baby boy.” He crooned, trailing his hands down to get big handfuls of Peter’s ass. “Kinda wanna call you Thumper, wanna call you Peter Cottontail, thinking about calling you Bunny Bumpkins, you’re so fucking precious, I can’t even–”

Wade shut up when his hands were suddenly off of Peter’s butt and pinned to the wall behind him with a pile of webbing. “Uh Pete–?”

“You call me Bunny Bumpkins again and I’ll stick you to the wall and leave you for the crazy cat lady to find.” Peter threatened. “I bet she would just  _love_  a leopard skin rug.”

“Okay.” Wade tugged at his wrists but the webbing didn’t give. “Not going to call you Bunny Bumpkins anymore. Please don’t leave me for the cat lady, she frightens me.”

Peter smirked and started walking backwards out of the alley, wiggling his fingers in a wave. “Bye Wade!”

“Pete? Pete!” Wade started yanking at his wrists. “Spidey don’t you dare leave me like this!” He yanked harder. “Spidey! The cat lay will get me and make me wear a collar with a bell on it! SPIDEY! This isn’t funny anymore!!”

Bracing his feet against the wall and pushing didn’t do any good either and Wade hollered louder, “I SWEAR TO GOD YOU BRATTY COTTON TAILED WEB SLINGER YOU COME BACK HERE AND UN DO ME OR SO HELP ME GOD–”

“Wade.” he jerked up to see Peter crawling down the wall from up above him, a shit-eating grin on the bunny shifter’s face. “Stop shouting. Someone might come down here and discover your secret identity.”

“Oh thank god.” Wade sagged against the wall. “I was panicking a little bit. You aren’t really going to leave me for the cat lady, right?”

“I think you’d look cute with a collar and a bell.” Peter teased, and from upside down his smile looked entirely too satisfied. “Maybe that’s what I’ll get you for Christmas.”

“I’d wear it as long it said  _Return to Peter Parker_  on it.” Wade said seriously, and Peter reached out to touch along his jaw, then bump his nose, crawling down further to lay a searing kiss on Wade’s lips. The angle was a little awkward because Peter was upside down, but by the time he pulled away, spots had filled in on Wade’s skin and his jaw was popping,  _aching_ as his fangs lengthened.

“Christmas Eve.” Peter whispered. “At the Avengers Compound upstate. You’ll be there?”

“I won’t disappoint you, Pete.” Wade whispered back and Peter smiled before reaching over and ripping the lines off Wade’s wrists, disappearing back up the wall and out of sight.


	5. Chapter 5

The Christmas Eve get-together was much more low key than the actual Christmas party, and with Harley there to talk to, Peter could actually relax enough to have fun.

He hadn’t been lying when he said most of the team stayed in their pajamas for the party– the egg nog had been laced at about seven am that morning and everyone was too tipsy and giggly to deal with real clothes by the time dinner came around.

The team ate sprawled out in the common area, lounging on the couches or pillows on the floor, some of the mated pairs snuggled up together, others separated to wrap a few last minute presents.

Harley and Peter posted up by the windows with huge glasses of the less-spiked egg nog and full plates of food, shoveling it into their mouths as fast as they could and chatting in between bites.

“So you’re coming to college in the city?” Peter asked over a chomp of dinner roll and Harley had to swallow a huge piece of prime rib before answering, “Tony says I can room at the Tower so I don’t have to live on campus if I don’t want to.”  

“You can stay with me.” Peter offered, draining his glass of eggnog. “I’ve got an extra bedroom and plenty of room.”

“Well if Tony starts getting all dad on me, I might have to.” Harley wiped his mouth. “You would be alright living with a bigger shifter?”

“I’m not scared of you.” Peter scoffed. “I’m Spider-man.”

“You’re a bunny.” the eighteen year old retorted. “I might step on you if I shift. Spider-man or not, being stepped on  _sucks_.”

“If you step on me–” Peter warned and Harley cut in– “Actually, that reminds me of something else. Can I have your foot to carry to class? Is it the left or the right rabbits foot that’s lucky?”

“I will kill you.” Peter launched off his seat and tackled Harley to the floor, grappling and wrestling and making sure to check his strength so he didn’t hurt the kid, but when Harley partial shifted into his Canine and snapped his teeth around Peter’s ankle, he shrieked and kicked out, knocking him into the couch.

“Ow! You kicked me!” Harley yelled and Peter yelled back, “You  _bit_ me!”

“I told you I needed a lucky rabbit’s foot what did you expect me to do?!”

“You stupid slobbering mutt!! I didn’t expect you to chew it off!”

“Boys!” Tony shouted from across the room. “It’s Christmastime and you  _will_  get along!”

“Brat.” Peter huffed and yanked Harley up from the floor. “I can’t believe you bit me.”

“Okay but like, in my defense.” Harley picked his food back up. “In my defense, I will need some luck for class? So if you aren’t real attached to your foot maybe just think about it.”

“Oh my god.” Peter burst out laughing. “This is why I never wanted a brother!”

“Whatever, I’m a gift.” Harley snorted, then narrowed his eyes and asked, “But hey, I hear that you got a mate already. I don’t wanna room with you if you’re gonna be bunny humping against the wall.”

Peter spit eggnog all over himself and Harley  _howled_ with laughter, wiggling on his seat like he wanted to partial shift again just so he could wag his tail. “Is it true? Are you with that mercenary?”

“I’m not um–” Peter wiped at his chin. “I don’t actually know. We haven’t talked about it. Who told you that Wade and I–”

“It was Hawkeye.” Harley said matter of factly. “Soon as I got here he gave me all the gossip and showed me a video of Tony and your mate like, posting up like alleycats and hissing at each other? Super funny. He says you and Wade are mates.”

“We aren’t mates.” Peter mumbled, digging back into his potatoes. “Clint needs to keep his mouth shut.”

“Not mates?” Harley kicked out at him. “Then why is he sorta stomping towards you right now, looking like he might fang out and carry you away?”

“Wait, what–?” Peter looked up in surprise and sure enough, Wade was heading their way, waving greetings to Pepper and Colonel Rhodes when they called to him, finger-gunning at Clint and when Tony hissed at him warningly, Wade lets his spots run over his skin and growled back.

Steve and Bucky burst out laughing and set to work soothing their ruffled mate, and Peter abandoned his plate to go right to Wade, pressing into his side and trilling softly to bring him back down.

“Would you warn me when he’s going to come over!” Tony was complaining in the background, and Peter hid his face in Wade’s shoulder so he wouldn’t be laughing quite so hard.

“Hi.” Wade said quietly, running his fingers through Peter’s hair and bending down to kiss him. “I told you I wouldn’t disappoint you.”

“I didn’t doubt it.” Peter kissed him back happily, the party fading away for a minute when Wade crooned something soft against his lips and held him tighter. “Wade, I–”

“This is gross, you’re ruining my eggnog!” Harley complained loudly, motioning obviously to the way they were kissing, intelligent eyes flitting over Wade’s skin and then up to meet his gaze. “Could you avoid sucking face with the bunny in front of my food? I’m trying to eat.”

Peter pulled away with an embarrassed grin, nodding just slightly as thanks for Harley culling his usual bluntness and not blurting out something about Wade’s scars. “Sorry about that. Um, Wade this is Kojak. He is–”

“Tony Stark’s protege.” Harley wiped his hand on his pajama pants and held it out for Wade to shake. “And it’s Harley, actually. Thumper here just thinks it’s funny to call me psychotic dog names. Nice to meet you.”

“He’s a punk kid who guilt tripped Tony into paying for his college and has no compunction with biting to get what he wants.” Peter finished, and Harley gave him a swift kick in the shin. “But he’s here for Christmas and is going to come to the city for school, and he’s not all terrible.”

“I’m a blessing of the highest sort.”

“Nice to meet you, Kojak.” Wade smirked at Harley and then put his arms back around Peter. “Can we go somewhere and talk? Like right now?”

“Right now? It’s still dinner time and I thought we could–” Peter started to object, but Wade ran his tongue over his still extended fangs and kissed him again, this one packed full of longing and  _need_ and Peter was nodding before he even realized he was doing it. “Yeah, yeah come on, we can go.”

He linked their hands and started tugging Wade towards the staircase door. “Is everything alright? I know we didn’t talk much today but you seem a little–”

He  _oophed_ quietly when Wade pulled him into the back staircase and shut the door behind them. “Wade?”

“You’re staying here tonight, right?” Wade was jittery, folding and unfolding his arms, reaching to touch Peter and then letting his hands fall away. “Here at the compound?”

“Yeah, that was the plan.” Peter flattened his palms on Wade’s chest to get him to settle, lips twisting in a smile when the big shifter shuddered, the Leopard coming forward to darken his spots and turn his eyes amber.

“I’m staying tonight, then I’ll leave early tomorrow afternoon to go and spend the rest of the day with Aunt May.” He let his own shift forward a little, and Wade buried his face in Peter’s hair, running his nose over the soft ears as they made an appearance. “Are you alright?”

“Can I stay with you?” Wade sounded anxious, nervous and Peter tipped his head back to look up at him in concern.

“Of course you can stay.” He whispered, wrinkling his brow in confusion. “ _Please_  stay. When I told you to come I thought you knew I meant I wanted you to stay.”  

“This is all happening really fast.” Wade said then and Peter’s expression cleared as he realized why Wade was acting so weird. “Last week we were barely touching and not even joking about this sort of thing and now we’re…”

Wade’s voice trailed off when Peter stood on his toes to dot a kiss to his collarbone, pushing the collar of his shirt aside to reach more skin.

“Now we’re what?” Another kiss, Peter rubbing his nose over Wade’s shoulder and pressing closer. “Now we’re  _what_ , Wade?”

Wade fit his palm to the back of Peter’s neck, thumbing over the faint marks left from his fangs, lower to swipe over the bonding spot at the curve of Peter’s throat. “We didn’t mate the other night.”

“…No.” Peter was frozen against him, barely breathing as the Alpha shifter kept coming back to that same spot. “No we didn’t.”

“So why does it feel like we did?” Wade was whispering now, breath puffing against Peter’s ear. “Why am I climbing outta my skin needing to get back to you? We’ve only been apart a day and a half but I’m going out of my mind with wanting to be next to you.”

“Oh.” Peter exhaled noisily. “Um, Wade, that’s–that–”

“It’s crazy.” Wade finished, sounding defeated. “And I know it’s crazy, alright? I  _know_  it is. And I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” Peter murmured, and Wade’s hand tightened at his neck. “Don’t–Don’t be sorry. It’s not all that crazy.”

“…It’s not?”

“What makes you think I haven’t been desperate to get back to you too?” Quietly, nearly inaudible, a tremble racking Peter’s lean frame. “I must have started to text you a thousand times yesterday and a thousand more today. When you called me to double check about tonight, I had to keep myself from jumping out the window and coming to find you.”

“ _Christ_.” Wade coughed to clear his throat, letting his shift out enough to lengthen his fangs again, sharpen his nails into claws that dug into Peter’s waist. “I need to stay with you tonight, yeah? Wanted you for a long time and now I need you and I don’t why or how but–”

“ _Wade_.”

“I need to stay with you.” he repeated. “I need to figure out what to do about this.”

“I know what to do about it.” Peter was cocky, smirking when he tipped his head back to mouth along the Alpha’s jaw. “Stay with me tonight. We’ll ruin another bedroom and another one tomorrow night and another one the day after that and the day after that and the day after–” Peter’s breath hitched when Wade  _growled_. “Stay with me. That’s what we’ll do about it.”  

“If I stay tonight I’m going to mark you.” Wade told him, amber eyes sparking in the low light. “You’ll be  _mine_ , Pete. I didn’t know I wanted you to be mine, not like this, but now it’s all I can think about.” He hesitated, then bent and closed his fangs over the corded muscle in Peter’s neck, biting down until the bunny shifter whimpered and went limp in submission. “Say yes, Pete.”

“Yes.” Peter whispered.

“Say  _yes_ , Pete.”

“Yes. Yes, I’m saying yes.” Peter gasped when the teeth closed tighter. “Oh fuck, yes, Wade  _yes_.”

“Now run for me.” Wade’s voice was nearly subsonic, the words torn ragged over a growl. “ **Run**.”

Peter ran.

***************

It might have been the same bedroom as the other night, or it might have been a different door that Wade broke through and Peter webbed shut, a different bed that they tumbled on to and different pillows that were flung onto the floor, but neither one of them cared.

Lost in a haze between the memories of the last time together and all the sensations of this time, hearts racing from the chase, slipping in and out of their partials without even thinking about it, every moment was a blur and yet somehow perfectly distinct right down to the second.

Peter tried to present for the Alpha shifter, to roll onto his stomach like he’d done last time but Wade  _snarled_  over it, made Peter lay on his back so they could kiss as Wade opened him up.

Possessive bites left on Peter’s stomach, an agile tongue dipping into his navel, swirling over the top of of his cock, down further to lick and lap at his entrance. Peter  _wailed_  when Wade came back to swallow him down, not stopping until his nose was shoved into Peter’s stomach, his throat working around the slender length.

“You taste good.” A bruising kiss crushed to Peter’s mouth, and the little shifter moaned over the taste of himself on Wade’s tongue. “So good, baby boy, so sweet.”

Wade started to go back, to move down Peter’s body with every intent of making Peter scream just with his mouth but Peter tugged at him impatiently, adding just a hint of that ridiculous strength to keep Wade right where he wanted him.

“I’m ready for you.” He panted when Wade kissed him again. “I’m ready for you, I can take it, I can handle you, I don’t need anything else, come on,  _please please please_.”

Wade muttered a curse when Peter arched beneath him, grasping fingers gripping his shoulders and pulling him down. “Please Wade, two days apart is too long,  _please_ –”

It was  _heaven_ , to slide into Peter and feel that sweet body accept him so easily, to feel those long legs wrap around his waist and hold him deep inside. Peter was ready before Wade was, rolling his hips impatiently and canting his hips up to encourage the big shifter to  _move_ , scratching his nails down Wade’s back and moaning over that first full thrust.

“Gonna make you mine, Pete.” Wade rasped and Peter stretched his arms out into the pillows to show his body off for his mate, mewling happily, letting the Leopard shifter take him any which way he pleased.

His dark eyes fluttered closed as Wade filled him in slow, easy strokes, every inch of the heavy cock stretching into his core, pressing him into the mattress. Peter tightened around each slow push, centering the pleasure low in his stomach until Wade was swore out loud and finally finally sped up, mouthing hot kisses down Peter’s leg to his knee, lifting a long leg over his own shoulder to open Peter up even further.

“My mate.” Peter moaned, and Wade almost convulsed over it. “Mine mine mine” Peter chanted over and over as Wade took him  _harder_. “Yes, yes, oh oh  _oh!_ ” his voice shot to a near scream when Wade stroked through him just right. “Like that, don’t stop, don’t stop!”

“Pete–my mate, come for me, come for me.” Wade was pleading but it came through as a snarl, a rumble, too far into his shift to properly speak. “My mate, I need you to come, need to feel you around me–” He jolted forward and snapped his teeth closed around Peter’s neck, piercing the skin and growling over the pheromone tinted blood that filled his mouth. “ **Mate**.”

Peter came in a rush, his back arcing and fingers leaving bruises where they held Wade’s side, needing nothing more than a command from his mate to lose himself, drowning in the waves of  _mine_ from the big shifter, of the call of  **mate** deep in his biology.

The mating bond sparked between them with such intensity that for a minute Peter swore he could feel Wade’s heart beating in time with his own, their breathing syncing and as Wade buried himself as deep as he could into Peter’s center, tears came to Peter’s eyes when he felt their minds connect for a split second, when Wade’s thoughts were laid bare to him and the only thing in the Alpha shifters head was  _Mine_.  _Whole_.  _Complete_.

“I’m yours.” Peter whispered as the link started to settle and he could breathe again. “Wade, I’m yours.”

“ **Mine**.” Wade rumbled, unlocking his jaw enough to lap over the sluggishly bleeding bite mark, kissing the bruises that were forming on the clear skin. “ **Mine**. My mate. Thank you.  _Thank you_. I’m yours. I’m yours and–”

“I’m yours and your mine.” Peter slurred the words. “I’m yours and your mine. My mate.”

“Yes.” Wade closed his eyes against the rush of emotion, stunned by the purity of the moment, one hand low on Peter’s hip to keep him tight and still, the other buried in Peter’s hair and rubbing at the base of his ears to make his darling little mate shiver and sigh and curl closer.

“ _Mate_.” Peter was too satisfied to even grimace over the mess as Wade pulled free, rolling into Wade’s arms and snuggling into his chest. “That was incredible. You are  _incredible_.”

Wade kissed his head in silent agreement, and waited for the  _unsure_ to flood him like it did last time, but it didn’t come.

It was just perfect.

All the things he didn’t know he’d wanted falling perfectly into place

********************

Peter woke to a kiss on his nose and when he cracked an eye open, Wade was smiling down at him, tracing the healed bonding mark on Peter’s neck and crooning something quiet and most likely possessive, still shifted enough that his eyes were amber and lit with warmth.

“My mate.” Peter stretched and sighed over the pleasant ache low in his core. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.” Wade kissed him again, teasing at his bottom lip with the barest hint of fang. “How are you feeling?”

“So good.” Peter’s smile was a little smug and a whole lot self satisfied and Wade  _loved_ it.

“We have a lot to figure out, don’t we?” He asked hesitantly, brushing his knuckles over Peter’s cheek. “I always wanted more than what we had but I never put any thought into how it would actually work.”

“You never put any thought into how anything would actually work.” Peter teased him, bumping their noses together playfully. “Why should this be any different?”

“Because I care very much about how this particular thing turns out.”  Wade brought Peter back for another kiss, soft and slow, working to disguise the nervousness as he asked, “Morning after regrets?”

“My mate.” Peter’s eyes flashed as he flattened himself further onto Wade’s chest. “ _Never_. We’ll figure it out. We figured out how a Spider-man and a mercenary can work together, we’ll figure out how to be mates too.”

“Well, I know one part we got down perfectly.” Wade patted at Peter’s rear, laughing out loud when Peter wriggled his nose and slipped a little further into his shift so Wade got a handful of cotton-soft tail. “But if you wanted to practice more I wouldn’t be opposed to a few more trial runs.”

“Are you sure you can keep up?” Another wriggle of that ridiculous nose and Peter grinned. “I hear bunnies are  _legendary_ at this sort of thing.”

“Are you suggesting we hump like bunnies?” Wade laughed even harder. “I knew I loved you!”

“I love you too.” It was easy to say, easier to believe and Peter punctuated it with a soft kiss. “I love you too.”  

“Well that’s good, because you’re stuck with me.” Wade petted through the fluffy tail for another second and added, “You know, I always wanted a pet bunny for Christmas? Do you prefer to be fed lettuce or free range it in the yard?”

“DAMN YOU!” Peter shrieked and tried to pull away but Wade just cackled and wrestled him to the bed, pinning the little shifter with a long kiss, coming back again and again, longer and longer until Peter was humming and kissing him back, soothed by the attention from his mate.

“We’ll figure all this out, Pete.” Wade murmured, pulling the covers up to shield them from the early morning chill of the room. “This is just our first Christmas together, we’ll have lots more to work everything out.”

“Don’t you dare feed me lettuce.”

“Scouts honor.”

“Well then, Merry Christmas, my mate.” Peter flicked his ears and nuzzled into Wade’s neck. “The first of many, right?”

“The first of so many.” Wade cuddled his mate closer. “Have I told you that you’re cute like this? If you wriggle your nose again I actually might die.”

“If you keep talking about it, I might actually kill you.” Peter retorted. “Keep petting me though.”

Wade settled a little further into the pillows and started purring, soothing his mate back to sleep.

“You’re all I want for Christmas, Pete.” he whispered after a moment. “All I want.”  

“Good.” Peter yawned. “Cuz I didn’t get you shit.”

*************

**Epilogue**

**************

It had snowed sometime during the night and after presents were handed out and shouted over, most of the team headed outdoors to play in the cold.

Clint and Natasha teased and flirted in the trees at the far end of the yard, Clint flicking snow at his mate with his massive wings, Natasha scaling up and breathing a little bit of fire to melt it before it even touched her.

Wanda and Vision were walking hand in hand through the drifts, admiring how pretty the compound was covered in white and Bruce and Sam were attempting to build a snowman.

Peter and Wade started out on a nice stroll, but it turned into a snowball fight which devolved into a wrestling match and Wade  _oophed_ as Peter pinned him for the third time in less than fifteen minutes.

“Ha.” Peter grinned triumphantly. “Pinned ya again.”

“How in the fuck–?” Wade wheezed when Peter pounced on his chest. “Damn little bunny! Let me a win a few!”

Before Peter could even answer, Bucky called from the front door– “You gonna let a bunny pin ya? Disgraceful!”

“Yeah?” Wade pushed Peter off into the snow and called back– “Why don’t you come over here and try it, Winter boy?”

“NO!” Tony was halfway through taking a very tentative step into the snow and looking like he hated it, but stopped to squawk at them. “No! You are not about to wrestle a bunny James Buchanan Barnes! Peter get over here before you get hurt!”

“Alright, I won’t wrestle a bunny.” Bucky bent and smooshed a kiss to his mate’s cheek. “But I’m gonna go whip me some Leopard ass, yeah?”

Peter barely managed to get out of the way before Bucky partial shifted into his Wolf and launched himself at Wade, taking the other Alpha shifter out and burying him in the snow.

“Oh for heaven’s–” Tony started to fuss but it ended in a screech as his other mate jumped right over his head, Steve twisting into his Lion in mid air and landing in the middle of the other two.

It was an all out war then, Clint taking to the sky and dive bombing them from above, Wade dropping into his full shift just so he stood a chance against the massive Lion and partial Wolf.

“So much for  _all is calm_.” Tony sighed and sat down on the step, making room for Peter. “Also, you smell like Leopard.”

“I sure do.” Peter said proudly and Tony rolled his eyes, but his smile was fond. “Had me a real good night.”

“Your mates are all being stupid.” Harley pushed between them with a mug of hot chocolate. “And it’s cold out here. And talking all mushy about your mates is gross.”

“Just wait kiddo.” Tony stole a drink from Harley’s cup and went back to watching his mates tussle in the snow. “When you find a mate, you’ll understand.”

“Yeah.” Peter nodded, his eyes sparking as he watched Wade. “You’ll understand.”

“Gross.” Harley repeated. “But you know, Merry Christmas or whatever.”


End file.
